On The Balcony
by shmulia
Summary: Set between episodes ten and eleven of Book 4, Mako and Korra discuss the upcoming battle against Kuvira, bringing up old feelings in the process.


_AN: This was w__ritten before the finale aired, but I figured I'd post it anyway._

The breeze swept through Korra's hair as she looked over Republic City, the chill of the air caressing her neck. Leaning on the railings of Asami's balcony, the city sprawled before her, she let out a sigh she had been holding in all day.

Bolin's news of Kuvira's super-weapon had unsettled her. Her battle with Kuvira, and her subsequent defeat, was still fresh in her mind; although it hadn't broken her in the way her fight with Zaheer did, her confidence had, once again, been knocked. The fact that the spirits refused to support her hadn't helped; Kuvira had the power of the spirit vines backing her already formidable power. Korra had herself, and her friends. Whilst she didn't for a second question the strength of those supporting her, she couldn't help but worry that it just might not be enough to win.

She was pondering the inevitable upcoming battle when a familiar voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Hey," Mako said, standing in the doorway.

"Hey." She turned to look at him, smiling. Her eyes ran over him, still not entirely used to his new look; the past three years had matured him, defining his features even more intently than before. She had to admit, she missed his old hairstyle; unfortunately, she didn't think he'd quite approve of her ruffling his new, bodyguard-of-a-prince hair into his old spiky 'do.

"We were wondering where you'd got to," he said, moving to join her by the balcony's edge. She followed his movements with her eyes until he was beside her, and then turned back to her original position, watching the world go by.

"Aren't you supposed to be guarding Wu?" she asked, wondering where the Prince was. She wouldn't have been surprised if he turned up behind them: it was common knowledge that, as of late, wherever Mako went, Wu followed (even though she was sure that, as Wu's bodyguard, it was supposed to be the other way round).

"I left him playing Pai Sho with Asami," Mako replied, smirking.

"Bet Asami's _loving_ that." Korra chuckled.

Mako's smirk became a grin. "Well, he isn't the fastest learner. But he's earnest, and Asami's a good teacher. Besides," he said "I deal with him nearly all day, every day. I'm sure Asami doesn't mind babysitting the Prince for a bit to give me a break."

Korra turned her head towards him. "I'll bet you ten yuans that her revenge is slow and painful."

"Only ten? Wow, Asami must like Wu more than I thought," he said. "I would have thought you'd bet at least one hundred on such a sure outcome."

It was odd, this sudden playfulness Mako was exhibiting. Although the two of them had fallen back into friendship easily enough, they hadn't had the time to joke around with one another. It was nice, Korra thought. But she couldn't tether her thoughts to the present moment; they drifted back towards the threat Kuvira posed, and silence fell between Korra and Mako as unease filled her mind.

"Yuan for your thoughts," Mako said, looking at her curiously.

Korra hesitated.

"Korra?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm worried. About Kuvira. I just.." she trailed off, unable to put her thoughts into words.

Mako frowned as she withdrew into herself.. He nudged her arm, almost playfully, encouraging her to continue.

"Kuvira's built a super-weapon." She stated, closing her eyes as the wind brushed across her face.

"It doesn't matter," Mako replied simply. "You'll beat her."

Korra frowned, turning to look at him. "How can you be so confident? She defeated me before, without her super spirit vine weapon. What's to say she can't do it again?" She looked at Mako, almost daring him to answer. He was silent for a moment, and she could practically see him thinking how to best respond to her. After a moment, her eyes met his, and the conviction in his gaze startled Korra.

"Do you remember I once told you that you never cease to amaze me?" He asked, a small smile forming on his face. Korra looked over at him, surprised at how quickly the memory came back to her: a spinning embrace followed by his affectionate words, unashamedly sweet in front of her Uncle, after she had opened the spirit portal in the Southern Water Tribe. She can't help but remember that time – the final moments of peace before a storm that lasted for what felt like a lifetime – with an affectionate nostalgia. She thought back to the girl she had been back then, and couldn't believe she had ever been so naive as to trust Unaloq. And yet, somehow, she missed that naivety; she had no idea of what was to come, who she would face, what she would suffer.

Korra pulled herself back into reality, the thoughts flicking through her mind in the space of a few seconds. Mako looked at her, trying to read her emotions, a talent that used to be second nature to him; now, it was harder. She was less of an open book. But he tried anyway.

"Yeah," she said, forcing a grin on her face, trying to play her silence as her attempting to remember what's he was talking about. Her smile softened, becoming genuine as she recalled the feel of his embrace, spinning her in his arms as only he ever had, making the world around them disappear for a few blissful seconds. "Yeah, I do."

Mako looked at her, his light brown eyes piercing Korra's blue ones. "It's still true."

There was an intensity to the statement, a meaning that Korra couldn't quite catch. She turned to look over at the traffic below them, unable to meet Mako's gaze.

"Look," he said, trying to disrupt the growing tension, "I know you're worried. To be honest, I would be concerned if you weren't. But Korra, you're stronger than Kuvira – you were even before you talked to Zaheer. But now, you _know_ you are. Zaheer showed you how incredible your power is. None of us have any doubt you're going to win. And it's not because you're the Avatar. It's because you're _Korra_. You want to know why I'm so confident?" He smiled, almost shyly. "I still think you're pretty amazing."

She wanted to kiss him. It was the same feeling she had when she was seventeen, listening to him say those same words for the first time. But this time, she held back. She wasnt as brash, as bold as she used to be. There was still so much between them, so much they needed to talk about. She was still learning about Mako, the bodyguard of Prince Wu, rather than the Mako she left behind three years ago. Instead, she pulled him into a hug, catching him off guard as her arms wrapped around his neck. He settled into the embrace, holding her tightly, trying to reassure her without words that she was going to be ok. She rested her head on his shoulder, and all thoughts of Kuvira fled from her mind. Right then, there was only her and Mako.

A lot had changed in three years.

Korra had started to realise that her feelings for Mako hadn't.


End file.
